Rail fastening means for use in railway tracks



J. HARMSEN 3,442,452 RAIL FASTENING MEANS FOR USE IN RAILWAY TRACKS May 6, 1969 Filed Sept. 25, 1967 JOHAN L. HARMSEN Aqent United States Patent 3,442,452 RAIL FASTENING MEANS FOR USE IN RAILWAY TRACKS Johan L. Harmsen, 68 Hawkridge Ave., Markham, Ontario, Canada Filed Sept. 25, 1967, Ser. No. 670,164 Int. Cl. E01b 9/38, 13/00, 9/00 US. Cl. 238-265 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Background of the inventory This invention relates to improved rail fastening means for use with flange-footed rails in railway tracks.

The invention has been developed primarily for the fastening of rails on concrete ties or sleepers, but in its widest aspect it is considered to be applicable to hardwood or other timber as well as steel sleeper rail supports.

Summary of the invention My invention is concerned with that kind of rail fastening means which utilizes a removably resilient clamp associated with a base plate connected to the upper surface of the tie. The clamp, well known in the art, comprises upper and lower arms connected resiliently together, so that the two arms are spaced relatively apart, the lower arm being inserted in a hole in the base plate for pressure engagement with the plate and the upper arm being adapted to apply resilient holding-down pressure to a rail flange to secure or assist in securing the rail to the tie. The clamp can be easily displaced relative to the tie between a rail securing position and a release position to permit removal of the rail when required.

In the case of a concrete tie, usually a separate base plate is attached onto the upper surface of the tie. This base plate has a hole or other opening extending from the outer edge towards the rail substantially perpendicular to the length of the rail to receive the lower arm of the clamping means. The upper face of the opening provides an abutment for engaging the upper side of the lower arm of the clamp to retain it effectively in rail securing position. The base plate protrudes above the surface of the concrete tie causing problems in storage and handling of the ties. Also, the base plates are subject to high static as well as dynamic forces from the railway cars passing over them.

My invention provides a novel anchorage member to replace the base plate for use with the resilient clamp. The anchorage member is embedded in the tie with its top wall flush with the upper surface of the tie to permit easy storage and handling thereof as there are no parts protruding therefrom.

Apart from the tie with the anchorage member embedded therein, only one part, a resilient clamp, is necessary to secure the rail to the tie. This clamp is easy to manufacture and store. Also, it is easily inserted and removed when used with the anchorage member of my invention.

My invention provides an anchorage member adapted ice to be embedded in a railway tie for use with a rail and a clamp for fastening the rail to an upper surface of the tie, said anchorage member comprising: a box-like structure having a longitudinal axis, a top wall, a bottom wall, first and second side walls, an entrance end Wall and a closed end wall; said top wall, bottom Wall, and side walls extending parallel with said longitudinal axis, said top wall adapted to be aligned with the upper surface of the tie and having a transverse opening therein adjacent said entrance end wall and continuing laterally into said entrance end wall to allow a lower portion of the clamp to be disposed in a central recess defined by said walls such that said clamp is located against turning movement and against movement away from the rail.

When the clamp is in the rail securing position, the limbs of its lower arm engage the adjacent inner faces of the anchorage member side walls, the ends of the lower arm limbs engage an inner face which joins the top wall and the closed end wall, and outer faces of its connecting portions engage the adjacent inner faces of the side walls and the entrance end wall. The clamping means is then fixed against turning movement and against movement away from the rail under the effect of rail creep which is caused by the vibrations of the rail when in use.

Description of the drawings A fuller understanding of the invention may be had by referring to the following description and claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective side elevation view showing one form of concrete tie with a flange-footed railway rail secured thereto by a rail fastening means in accordance with the invention;

FIGURE 2 is an exploded perspective side elevation view showing the anchorage member and a preferred clamping means that is used with the anchorage member;

FIGURE 3 is a partial longitudinal sectional view on the line 33 of FIGURE 1, showing the rail securing means of the invention used with the railway rail and tie; and

FIGURE 4 is a view similar to FIGURE 3 but with a second type of rail clamping means which can be used with a second embodiment of the novel anchorage member in accordance with the invention.

Referring to the drawing, the anchorage member of the invention indicated generally by the numeral 40, is illustrated as being incorporated with a reinforced concrete tie or sleeper 10 and a resilient clamp or clip 20 for holding a rail 30 down on the tie 10. The anchorage member 40 is embedded in the tie 10 for securing the clip 20 to the tie 10. Normally, each rail 30 is secured to each tie 10 by two rail fastening means 11 comprising the clip 20 and the anchorage member 40. In FIGURE 1, only one fastening means 11 is shown and the other fastening means would be exactly the same as the one shown and positioned on the other side of the rail.

The rail 30 with a transverse axis 34 is supported upon an upper surface 12 of the tie 10 with a rubber or other resilient pad 36 provided between its base 33 and the upper surface 12 of the tie to absorb the vibrations of the rail and to electrically insulate the rail 30 from the adjacent part of the tie 10. The rail 30 has two flanges 31 with upper faces 32 which slope downwardly to the horizontal from a rail web 35. Such downward slope may be at the same angle over the entire width of each flange 31.

The tie 10 may be formed of any suitable material and in any suitable shape but, preferably should be made of concrete. The tie 10 has an upper surface 12, end surfaces 13 and a longitudinal axis 14 substantially parallel to the transverse axis 34 of the rail 30. For each rail fastening means 11, preferably a channel 15 transversing the longitudinal axis 14 of the tie is formed in the upper portion of the tie 10 on each side of the rail flange 31 to permit easier insertion of the clip 20 into the anchorage member 40. The channel 15 extends to the entrance of the anchorage member 40 embedded in a blind hole or cavity 18 which extends in the same direction and terminates at a position beneath the adjacent edge portion of the rail base 33.

In the preferred form, each channel 15 is of a trapezoidal cross-section with a base 16 sloped slightly in relation to the upper tie surface 12 to permit drainage and prevent any water from collecting in the anchorage member 40 to minimize corrosion. The base 16 has a width suflicient to permit the lower portion of the clip to be driven into the anchorage member 40, as will be described later. The channel 15 has side walls 17 with diverging surfaces located on opposite sides of the longitudinal axis 14 of the tie 10. Each of the side walls 17 diverge upwards and outwards from the base 16 towards the upper surface 12 of the tie 10. The channel 15 adjacent the end surfaces 13 of the tie 10 may, if desired, extend from each end face 13 to the entrance of a cavity 18 in which the anchorage member 40 is positioned. An entrance end wall 48 of the anchorage member 40 is in an abutting relation to an upwardly extending abutment face 19 of the cavity 18 which faces the rail 30.

The upper limbs of the clip 20 form an upper clip arm 21 which constitutes a rail flange engaging arm and the lower limbs form a lower clip arm 22 which is spaced apart from the upper clip arm 21 and constitutes a tie engaging arm. The two arms 21 and 22 are connected resiliently together by connecting portions 23 and 24 preferably of straight configuration which merge at each end thereof into the adjacent end of the upper and lower arms 21 and 22 respectively. Each connecting portion 23 and 24 has an outer end face 63 and 64 respectively. The upper arm 21 has a U-shaped configuration with an arouate base 25 which presents an abutment face 26 on its underside adapted to engage the upper flange face 32 at a point of load application 27.

The lower arm 22 has two spaced apart limbs 28 and 29 with outer side faces 58 and 59 respectively, which are preferably flat but may have their ends 62 bent slightly upwards to assist in securing the limbs 28 and 29 in the anchorage member 40.

Two anchorage members 40 are embedded in the tie 10 one on each side of the rail 30 and extending beneath the rail base 33. In the rail securing position, the clip 20 when inserted into central recess 41 of the anchorage member is effectively retained against turning movement and against movement away from the rail.

The anchorage member 40 can be formed from metal or a tough plastic material which will electrically insulate the clip 20 from the tie 10. In the specific illustration shown in FIGURE 2, the anchorage member 40 is preferably formed to resemble a box-like structure defined by a plurality of walls of more or less uniform thickness with a central recess 41 therein and a longitudinal axis 42. The walls consist of a top wall 43 with a transverse opening 44 therein, a bottom wall 45, spaced apart side walls 46 and 47, an entrance end wall 48 with a pair of upwardly extending abutting shoulders 50 and 51 therein adjacent the side walls 46 and 47, respectively, a closed end Wall 52, and a cover wall 53 joining the top wall 43 and the closed end wall 52 as shown in FIGURES 2 and 3. The top wall 43, bottom wall 45 and side walls 46 and 47 extend parallel with the longitudinal axis 42. The top wall 43 is adapted to be placed flush with the upper surface 12 of the tie 10 to facilitate easy handling and storage of the ties 10. The opening 44 in the top wall 43 is continued laterally into the entrance end wall 48 making an opening 49 therein which facilitates the easy insertion of the clip 20 into the central recess 41.

The central recess 41 is of a suitable length and width to receive the lower portion of the clip 20 so that the lower limb ends 62 will engage an inner cover face 54 which is a diverging surface while the lower limb outer side faces 58 and 59 are in pressure engagement with inner side wall faces 56 and 57 respectively to retain the clip 20 against any turning movement. Also, the outer end faces 63 and 64 of the connecting portions 23 and 24 are in an abutting relation with inner shoulder faces 50 and 51 respectively to retain the clip 20 from movement away from the rail web 35. The bottom wall 45 has an inner bottom face which is preferably adapted to be aligned with the channel base 16 sloping slightly upwards in relation to the top tie surface 12. This prevents corrosion of the metal anchorage member 40 and the lower clip arm 23 which would seriously impede removal of the clip 20 for rail replacement purposes.

The anchorage member 40 is installed within the form of the concrete tie while it is being made. The side walls 46 and 47, cover wall 53, and closed end wall 52 of the preferred embodiment of the anchorage member 40 as shown in FIGURE 3, are effective in securing the anchorage member 40 within the concrete tie 10. Alternatively, other securing means can be used with the anchorage member 40, such as a bent rod 73, as shown in FIG- URE 3, or a loop anchor 55 which has upper arms 71 and 72 extending through openings in the side walls 46 and 47 respectively, as shown in FIGURE 2, with a depending loop structure (not shown) engaged by the concrete for securing the anchorage member 40 firmly within the concrete tie 10. The longitudinal axis 42 of the anchorage member 40 should be positioned in a parallel relation to the longitudinal axis 14 of the tie 10.

Alternatively to molding the anchorage member 40 into the tie, the tie may be formed with a cavity, preferably of the configuration shown in FIGURE 3, and the anchorage member formed of a tough plastic, for example, inserted into the cavity.

In utilizing my invention, the lower clip arm 22 is positioned on the channel base 16 with the clip connecting portions 23 and 24 held together by a suitable tool so that the lower limbs 28 and 29 will pass through the entrance end wall opening 49. A hammer or like suitable impact tool is applied to the clip connecting portions 23 and 24, forcing the upper clip arm 21 into tight engagement with the upper flange face 32 and the lower limb ends 62 into pressure engagement with the inner cover face 54. As the driving operation progresses, by virtue of the upward slope of the upper flange face 32 and the downward slope of the inner cover face 54, the upper and lower clip arms 21 and 22 are forced relatively apart stressing the connecting portions 23 and 24 until the clip 20 is fully driven into the anchorage member 40 in the rail securing position. The lower clip arm 22 is positioned within the central recess 41 before the pressure holding the clip connecting portions 23 and 24 together is released permitting the lower limbs and connecting portions to expand outwards towards the adjacent inner faces of the walls of the anchorage member 40. Thus, the clip 20 will be prevented from turning and becoming disengaged when so positioned in the anchorage member 40.

Alternatively, as shown in FIGURE 4, the cover wall 53 joining the top wall 43 and the colsed end wall 52 is removed. Also, the upper clip arm 21 may be shaped to have the abutment face 26 sloped upwardly from the point of contact with the end of the flange 31 along the upper flange face 32 to better hold the rail 30 against any lateral movement in the rail securing position.

With a pair of the novel anchorage members 40 embedded in the concrete tie 10, rails having different widths of rail base 33 can be laid in position on the tie 10 and secured thereto. The clip 20 must have an upper clip arm 21 of precise configuration to engage the upper flange face 32 and a lower clip arm 22 of precise configuration to be suitably engaged within the anchorage member 40. The length of the anchorage member 40 can be varied if desired, as shown in FIGURE 4, to permit wider rails 30 to be positioned on the tie 10. With the structure shown, the rail can be changed quickly and a new size rail secured thereon very easily.

With the present invention, the process of removing a rail is extremely simple and requires little labour and little time. A special extracting tool is used to bring the clip connecting portions 23 and 24 together to draw the clip 20 out of the entrance end wall recess 49 and thus out of engagement with the rail 30 and the anchorage member 40.

Concrete ties have a life span that is almost indefinite and the use of my novel anchorage members therewith permits the installation and removal of a large number of rails as needed. Also, the concrete ties can be stored and handled easily in preparation for their installation.

If the invention were applied to light railway rails, it is preferred that a single rail fastening means 11 be used with the rail for securing one of the two rail flanges. The other flange can be engaged by some other securing means, such as a lug positioned on the upper surface of the tie.

What I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. An anchorage member adapted to be embedded in a railway tie for use with a rail and a clamp for fastening the rail to an upper surface of the tie, said anchorage member comprising: a box-like structure having a longitudinal axis, a top wall, a bottom wall, first and second side walls, an entrance end wall, and a closed end wall, said top, bottom, and side walls extending parallel with said longitudinal axis, said top wall adapted to be aligned with the upper surface of the tie and having a transverse opening therein adjacent said entrance end Wall and continuing laterally into said entrance end Wall to allow a lower portion of the clamp to be disposed in a central recess defined by said walls wherein said clamp is located against turning movement and against movement away from the rail, said entrance end walls having shoulders adjacent each side wall with the opening therebetween, said shoulders adapted to prevent any movement of said clamp away from the rail.

2. An anchorage member as described in claim 1, wherein said railway tie is made from reinforced concrete.

3. An anchorage member as described in claim I, said anchorage member having a cover wall joining said top wall and said closed end wall.

4. Rail fastening means for use in securing a rail on an upper surface of a railway tie, a cavity formed in the tie and having an upwardly extending abutment face facing the rail, a channel formed adjacent the upper tie surface extending to the abutment surface of the cavity, an anchorage member disposed in the cavity, said anchorage member having a longtudinal axis and a top wall with a transverse opening aligned with the upper tie surface and an entrance end wall abutting against the abutment face of the cavity, the opening in said top wall being continued laterally into said entrance end wall forming shoulders adjacent spaced-apart side walls, a clamping having a lower section disposed in a central recess wherein the clamp is located against turning movement and against movement away from the rail.

5. Rail fastening means for use with a rail on a railway tie having an upper surface with a pair of cavities therein disposed one at each side of the rail, each cavity extending beneath said rail and having an upwardly extending abutment face facing the rail, a pair of channels formed adjacent the upper tie surface each extending to the abutment surface of the adjacent cavity, said rail fastening means comprising: in combination, a pair of clamps adapted to exert a clamping force for securing the rail to the tie and a pair of anchorage members being disposed in the cavities each anchorage member having a longitudinal axis and a top wall with a transverse opening adapted to be aligned with the upper tie surface and an entrance end wall abutting against the abutment face of the cavity, the opening in said top wall being continued laterally into said entrance end wall forming shoulders adjacent spaced-apart side walls, each clamp embodying upper and lower arms and a pair of springably contractible spaced-apart connecting portions therebetween, the upper and lower arms adapted to apply gripping pressure to an adjacent rail flange and to be anchored in a central recess within the anchorage member respectively wherein the clamp is anchored against turning movement and against movement away from the rail.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,136,113 4/1915 Foss 238265 1,147,321 7/1915 Hammons et al. 238-265 2,162,365 6/1939 Willard 238-349 ARTHUR L. LA POINT, Primary Examiner. R. A. BERTSCH, Assistant Examiner.

' US. Cl. X.R. 238310, 349 

